Topic: First Drive: 2017 Cadillac XT5

[Autos_Editor]

Standing out from the crowd.
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[Jaeger]

Rant on.

I do wish journalists would choose NOT to spend several paragraphs regurgitating the manufacturer's bombastic marketing babbletalk. I'm not interested in what Cadillac has to say about the vehicle - thats a commercial. I'm interested in what YOU have to say about the car.

/ rant.

Review was otherwise very good as is the vehicle. Cadillac seems to be the one division of GM that is truly well sorted.

[ChaosphereIX]

/rant

Seems like a decent CUV...in a sea of CUVs. They are everywhere, and auto journalists are not helping stemming the tide...and it seems that is all you guys get to review, as the last 3 reviews? CUVs, all even in the same size selection on the photocopier. What about us who have no interest in CUVs nor are ever in the market to buy one?

Yawn....and dismiss along with all the others...

Seriously, how can you get excited about a steady stream these things? Dont you come to the same general conclusions ever time? "Yeah, it ferries the kids about pretty good, is ok on gas [or not] and is comfy down the highway and in the Wal-Mart parking lot".....and move on.....

it is both an exciting time to be an auto enthusiast, as cars are more capable and faster than ever, but also it is really sad as their numbers are dwindling in numbers and variety until they are a lone speck in a sea of monotonous family movers and high riding whatever-you-want-to-call-thems.

Ok, I got that out of my system, continue on.

/rant

[Jaeger]

Seems like a decent CUV...in a sea of CUVs. They are everywhere, and auto journalists are not helping stemming the tide...and it seems that is all you guys get to review, as the last 3 reviews? CUVs, all even in the same size selection on the photocopier. What about us who have no interest in CUVs nor are ever in the market to buy one?

Dude - be real - if you think that auto journalists as the ones driving the widespread consumer obsession with CUVs you are dead wrong.  It's the consumers themselves.  This is what they want.  I don't get it either but money talks and ever more consumers are willing to put ever more of their money for these things.  If you have no interest in CUVs then you should prepared to be spectacularly bored by mainstream automotive content for the foreseeable future.  Can't blame the journos for covering what the manufacturers are building and you can't blame the manufacturers for building what the people are buying.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2016/05/crossovers-will-take-world-heres-proof/

[mixmanmash]

Seems like a decent CUV...in a sea of CUVs. They are everywhere, and auto journalists are not helping stemming the tide...and it seems that is all you guys get to review, as the last 3 reviews? CUVs, all even in the same size selection on the photocopier. What about us who have no interest in CUVs nor are ever in the market to buy one?

Dude - be real - if you think that auto journalists as the ones driving the widespread consumer obsession with CUVs you are dead wrong.  It's the consumers themselves.  This is what they want.  I don't get it either but money talks and ever more consumers are willing to put ever more of their money for these things.  If you have no interest in CUVs then you should prepared to be spectacularly bored by mainstream automotive content for the foreseeable future.  Can't blame the journos for covering what the manufacturers are building and you can't blame the manufacturers for building what the people are buying.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2016/05/crossovers-will-take-world-heres-proof/

This.

[EV-Light]

ugh!! so much rubber...this needs to come with 20in rims standard!

[Sir Osis of Liver]

^ NO

[revalations]

Cadillac needs a 3 row now that slots between this and the Escalade. Plus, a twin-spin Vsport version would be welcome too.

They need to quit focusing on sedans and go all in on CUV/SUV's. Thats where the moneys at and where they'll see their market share grow. Sad, but incredibly true.

[Fobroader]

Cadillac needs a 3 row now that slots between this and the Escalade. Plus, a twin-spin Vsport version would be welcome too.

They need to quit focusing on sedans and go all in on CUV/SUV's. Thats where the moneys at and where they'll see their market share grow. Sad, but incredibly true.

I am a huge fan of the ATS and CTS but if I would ever actually own a Caddy, it would definitely be an Escalade.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Pay attention.  The GMC Acadia will ride on this platform, and the Chevy Traverse will ride on the long wheelbase version of this platform.  Being the volume players, and being in need of a redesign from their current iteration, this will be an important platform for GM.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Cadillac needs a 3 row now that slots between this and the Escalade. Plus, a twin-spin Vsport version would be welcome too.

They need to quit focusing on sedans and go all in on CUV/SUV's. Thats where the moneys at and where they'll see their market share grow. Sad, but incredibly true.

This is EXACTLY what Buick is doing by dropping the Verano and focusing on the Encore. 

[ChaosphereIX]

Seems like a decent CUV...in a sea of CUVs. They are everywhere, and auto journalists are not helping stemming the tide...and it seems that is all you guys get to review, as the last 3 reviews? CUVs, all even in the same size selection on the photocopier. What about us who have no interest in CUVs nor are ever in the market to buy one?

Dude - be real - if you think that auto journalists as the ones driving the widespread consumer obsession with CUVs you are dead wrong.  It's the consumers themselves.  This is what they want.  I don't get it either but money talks and ever more consumers are willing to put ever more of their money for these things.  If you have no interest in CUVs then you should prepared to be spectacularly bored by mainstream automotive content for the foreseeable future.  Can't blame the journos for covering what the manufacturers are building and you can't blame the manufacturers for building what the people are buying.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2016/05/crossovers-will-take-world-heres-proof/

I totally hear ya man, valid points for sure. I don't mean to blame the journos, they are only reviewing the ones they are given. I was just venting at the state of the automotive industry, which is going down the toilet IMO, because of course as you said "money talks" and everyone is chasing the lucrative ever shrinking slice of the market share that is the 1-billion-variations-on-a-theme CUV. I saw one poster from that article call this the new Malaise Era. I think he is right.

Like revelations said, Caddy needs to build nothing but CUVs to get that market share. And so do all other manufacturers. They need to make money! And soon, there wont be any other kind of vehicle at all. As I posted before, I recently went into a Ford dealership...and there was only ONE car in the showroom. A base model Fiesta. All the rest: CUVs and trucks. Self-defeating circle this, and one day we will be wondering where all the sports sedans, the wagons, the hot hatches, liftbacks, and driver-focused vehicles went. Sacrificed to market share, that is what.

At least my Tesla 3 will be a proper car, and that will be my last car before we are all driving around in fully autonomous bubble things in 2030. So I guess my childish tantrum is all kinda a waste..well at least I feel better... 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

^

I'm not so despondent. Car styles come and go. The modern mid-size CUVs are very similar in form factor to much older cars like this 1955 Country Squire:



They were about the same height and roughly the same footprint. Successive generations got "longer, lower, wider", a trend pushed by designers and marketeers of the 1950s and 1960s. But these upright designs are easier to get in to and out of, a reason why the taller designs have come back. It serves an aging population much better.

As far as Malaise, no, it bears no resemblance to the malaise era at all. Cars of the 1970s and 1980s were underpowered and plagued with rust and mechanical problems. They were worse in most respects than the cars of the 1960s. Cars now are better than they've ever been as far as quality, efficiency, handling and power.

People get complacent with how good cars have become until they drive an old car, especially something from the 1970s or 1980s. Handling is worse, they're way down on power, and the materials and assembly quality is orders of magnitude worse.

[ChaosphereIX]

As far as Malaise, no, it bears no resemblance to the malaise era at all. Cars of the 1970s and 1980s were underpowered and plagued with rust and mechanical problems. They were worse in most respects than the cars of the 1960s. Cars now are better than they've ever been as far as quality, efficiency, handling and power.

People get complacent with how good cars have become until they drive an old car, especially something from the 1970s or 1980s. Handling is worse, they're way down on power, and the materials and assembly quality is orders of magnitude worse.

excellent points Sir O, I retract my support for the Malaise Era statement

and as for the comparison, not so sure on some points, as I argue that older cars have more personality and are a more "pure" driving experience. Yes the power, handling and quality is vastly improved, but dont you think they lost some of the "magic" in all the drive by wire, electronic steering, computer controlled rev-matching etc. along the way? Not a direct apples to apples, but my Alfa is a much [as in by order of magnitude] more engaging drive than my Saab - which is ultimately faster and aint half bad as far as mundane sedans go. Both are modified for improved power, braking, and handling even. But to feel the road and enjoy the drive, Alfa every single time. Not sure if I am making a point here, but hopefully you get the idea.

I still feel despondent, however. I hope this fad dies out and perhaps wagons make a comeback? One can hope right?

[Sir Osis of Liver]

I'm pretty sure we'll return to "longer, lower, wider", or some variation thereof, at some point as the car buying demographic gets younger again.

There are some pretty involving cars out there now. Leaving aside high end stuff, the Fiesta/ Focus ST/RS would be up there. The GTI certainly. Likely the new Civic Si. But they're all much more refined than hot hatches of yesteryear. Where older sporty cars were "on" all the time, the new ones are fine in day to day traffic and very undemanding in that environment. Fling them around though, and all the goodness comes out front and centre.

I don't think refinement and involvement are mutually exclusive. Even a fairly raw and involving car by modern standards like the BRZ/FR-S is refined compared to a 1980s Alfetta GT/V. But then again a 1980s Alfetta will feel more refined than an 1960s Giulietta. It's just the nature of these things.

[hemusbull]

Auto journalists are nothing more than official speakers of the auto manufacturers. They (the auto journalists) are the only invited to try pre production prototypes and test the new models. Instead this to be randomly done within the ordinary population like me and you...That why for me is much valuable opinion of Consumers Report than automotive journalists...if they are not paid millions (not by manufacturers of course!) to be a Jeremy Clarkson. The whole system of auto journalistic is quite fishy. Just a personal opinion...

[chignectohead]

Cadillac. Gronk. Sales off by 12.5% in the US so far this year. Coffee shop opens in NYC to compensate for those who somehow want to dare greatly. Old models milling around unsold in US dealer lots get flogged off on $299/month leases. Or less.

But here in Canada, no sign of decent prices on the stuck inventory, and the sham high end aura somehow desperately lives on. When I see some poor Caddy, usually an ATS around here, being driven like an old Buick, I actually wonder if the owners/leasers are still awake enough to have considered something else or are still stuck in an '80s slumber of past remembrances.

Then this piece of XT5 overbling lightitude shows up, fuelled by blown dry hairdo types swanning it by running a coffee shop in New Yawk City replete with Cadillac Scent. Seriously off the rails stuff. Car and Driver pointed out that a crossover powered by an engine with a 5,000 rpm torque peak, and overgeared transmission, together combine to provide tepid midrange response which is hardly inspiring in a "luxury" machine. No Audi Q7 then or GLE 400, even if both weigh more. Plus there's the reliability factor of recent years. What exactly is supposed to be the XT5's unique selling proposition? Sales in China are only at 50% of US levels so there's not a whole lot going on there for Cadillac either. Just don't get it.

I cannot imagine that there's a reader here who's straining at the leash to lease one of these XT5s, desperate to be seen in one because it's the latest and greatest. It's a pudgy-looking thing with so-so performance and a bit o' leather inside coupled with CUE. A winning combo all around. To me, Cadillac didn't even try.This is just the advance rollout of cheaper Chev, GMC and Buick models featuring the same oily bits at a cheaper price. YMMV.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

[carcrazed]

Some people are so bitter...

[lebowski]

Cadillac. Gronk. Sales off by 12.5% in the US so far this year. Coffee shop opens in NYC to compensate for those who somehow want to dare greatly. Old models milling around unsold in US dealer lots get flogged off on $299/month leases. Or less.

But here in Canada, no sign of decent prices on the stuck inventory, and the sham high end aura somehow desperately lives on. When I see some poor Caddy, usually an ATS around here, being driven like an old Buick, I actually wonder if the owners/leasers are still awake enough to have considered something else or are still stuck in an '80s slumber of past remembrances.

Then this piece of XT5 overbling lightitude shows up, fuelled by blown dry hairdo types swanning it by running a coffee shop in New Yawk City replete with Cadillac Scent. Seriously off the rails stuff. Car and Driver pointed out that a crossover powered by an engine with a 5,000 rpm torque peak, and overgeared transmission, together combine to provide tepid midrange response which is hardly inspiring in a "luxury" machine. No Audi Q7 then or GLE 400, even if both weigh more. Plus there's the reliability factor of recent years. What exactly is supposed to be the XT5's unique selling proposition? Sales in China are only at 50% of US levels so there's not a whole lot going on there for Cadillac either. Just don't get it.

I cannot imagine that there's a reader here who's straining at the leash to lease one of these XT5s, desperate to be seen in one because it's the latest and greatest. It's a pudgy-looking thing with so-so performance and a bit o' leather inside coupled with CUE. A winning combo all around. To me, Cadillac didn't even try.This is just the advance rollout of cheaper Chev, GMC and Buick models featuring the same oily bits at a cheaper price. YMMV.

Hot take! And nice work adding “YMMV” at the end - you do indeed seem reasonable and open to other points of view.